Inter-Ethnic Conflicts and Contradictions in the Northern Caucasus in the Context of Regional Security

Russia today faces a whole range of internal and external challenges that call into question its very existence in the 21st century. At the same time, it should be emphasized that all social, economic and political changes in our country inevitably affect interethnic relations. That's why any study within the framework of this issue in a multi-ethnic state is always relevant, regardless of whether it affects national relations on the scale of the entire Russian Federation or one specific republic. One of the multinational and multi-confessional regions of Russia is the North Caucasus, a region of contact of many cultures and ethnic groups. The article analyzes inter-ethnic relations in the North Caucasus in the context of regional security. Compared with the 1990s, an acutely conflicting form of inter-ethnic relations is not typical for the current stage of the development. Nevertheless, old conflicts are manifested in the region, primarily due to land relations. Particular tension in inter-ethnic relations in the North Caucasus is associated with the unresolved issue of restoring the Aukhovsky Region in the Republic of Dagestan, the unresolved Ossetian–Ingush conflict, and the unresolved problems of the repressed, deported and divided peoples. The modern process of demarcation of borders between the subjects of the Russian Federation also destabilizes inter-ethnic relations in the region.